There has been appreciable efforts directed toward the design and manufacture of combined washer dryers. Combined washer dryers typically use a single drum arranged along the horizontal axis such that the apparatus is front loading, and are configured to sequentially wash and dry clothes placed in the drum. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,151,354, 2,291,511, 2,434,476, 2,555,268, 2,607,209, 2,868,004, 2,899,816, 3,006,176, 4,765,162, 4,903,508 and 6,125,490, disclose combined washer dryers. Combined washer dryers also have been commercially sold by various companies such as Equator, Bosch, and Creda.
One problem associated with these combined washer dryers is that they use a drum that is relatively small, typically less than about 2 ft3 and which holds only up to about 10 pounds of clothes. Another problem associated with these combined washer dryers is that they do a relatively poor job in drying the washed clothes and inhibiting wrinkles in the dried clothes. They can also create a relatively high risk of burning the clothes and even cause the clothes of catch on fire. Yet another problem associated with these combined washer dryers relates to their control system that imprecisely and inefficiently controls laundering operations and washer dryer components, thereby causing the washer dryer to use an undesirably large amount of energy and water.
These washer dryer problems, individually or collectively, have inhibited combined washer dryers from entering into the mainstream washer and dryer marketplace (e.g. private residence homes and apartment units with dedicated space for a washer and dryer, self-service laundry facilities, clothes cleaning enterprises), since the mainstream marketplace demands safe and efficient washer dryers capable of accommodating large laundry loads. Thus, combined washer dryers tend to be sold in niche markets that do not demand large laundry load sizes or energy efficient operations, such as single person dwellings, and that adapt the washer dryer to operate in an unconventional manner, such as with kitchen sink piping hookups or without an air vent.
There is thus a need for a combined washer dryer that can address some or all of the needs of the mainstream marketplace. There is also a need for a combined washer dryer that has a larger laundry load capacity. There is also a need for a combined washer dryer with improved drying ability. There is also a need for a combined washer dryer with an improved control system. There is also a need to improve upon the prior art.